


comfort in a gaze

by soft_cactus



Category: DSMP - Fandom, DreamSMP, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Discrimination, Ender Dragon Hybrid Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Enderman Hybrid Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Gen, Human Experimentation, Manipulative Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Mind Control, Pandoras Vault, Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Sad Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Villain Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:08:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29565882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soft_cactus/pseuds/soft_cactus
Summary: “Normally… When I am around humans, I get uncomfortable. Especially eye-contact is almost impossible for me. But around you… I don’t feel like that. It doesn’t make sense, but… My brain is terrified of you, but the part enderman in me trusts you. And I don’t understand why.”---Ranboo and Dream have a bond between them, a bond Ranboo doesn't understand. He visits the prison to confront Dream. Turns to maybe there is more to that bond than just Ranboo's imagination.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), No Romantic Relationship(s), Ranboo & Sam | Awesamdude
Comments: 5
Kudos: 134
Collections: Completed stories I've read





	comfort in a gaze

**Author's Note:**

> set before Tommy got stuck in prison with Dream

His entire life Ranboo had experienced being treated differently because of who he is. Being a hybrid wasn't unusual, about 40% of the recorded population were hybrids. Hybrids of hostile mobs however were rather unusual, and even then, being an enderman hybrid? Yeah, people didn't trust him. He was half-monster. Half of his entire body was a deep black, his skin didn't feel like real skin, more like really dry leather. 

Ranboo was only part ender, but most of the time he still felt more at ease when he was with endermen than with humans. They spoke gentle words; they were curious but minded their own business. Ranboo himself sometimes felt more like an enderman than a human. Eye contact made him uncomfortable and sometimes even physically hurt in a weird way. When he got startled, he spoke in ender, and when he was in pain, he screamed just like an enderman. Water burned his skin like hot water would burn a human, and the sunlight hurt his eyes, even if it caused no damage.

There were many things Ranboo experienced in his life that he knew weren't ok. But that was the thing, he could either endure what happened to him or he could fight back. Only that if he fought back, he would get killed and people would say he obviously just lost control because the monster in him took over. No, him snapping had nothing to do with the physical and verbal abuse, the prejudice, or the experiments, especially the one that rendered his mind forever broken.

When he came to Esempe and L'Manberg he thought things would be different. And at first, they were. No one treated him any different, nobody gave him a second glance after realizing he was a hybrid, and no one tried to hurt him for what he was. But at the same time, he quickly noticed the curious glances when it rained, the way people tried to aggressively get him to look into their eyes, and the way people exchanged glances whenever ender language escaped his throat.

Ranboo tried to ignore it. He really did, but eventually, he couldn't anymore. He hated Dream with a burning passion. Dream was a monster; he was a killer and a manipulator. But Ranboo still felt so incredibly at ease around him. Sure, it was probably because of the mask and because Dream had never treated him any differently but being around Dream felt like being around other Endermen.

He had to find out why. He just had to know. And so here he was, being led towards a prison cell by Sam. He could see that Sam was worried. Sam was a hostile mod hybrid, like just Ranboo, so there had always been a mutual understanding between the two to look out for each other.

Sam sled him up the stairs, the last room before the cell. “Step on that platform, please.” Ranboo followed his instructions and glanced over. Sam flicked several levers until Ranboo heard redstone activate and Sam turned back to Ranboo. “Look forward.” Ranboo turned to the lava and closed his eyes, the light was attacking his sensitive eyes and hurting them.

“Ranboo, are you sure you want to do this?” Sam asked, Ranboo heard the concern in his voice.

He nodded curtly. “Yes. I have to do this. There are questions I have, and only he can answer them.”

Sam huffed. “Good luck with getting him to answer them.” Ranboo looked at him, a questioning look on his face. “Dream refuses to talk to anyone. To me, to Sapnap, to Bad. He just stays silent.”

Before he had a chance to say a word the lava fell deep enough so that Ranboo could see Dream. He was leaned against the wall, his hair was longer then when Ranboo last saw it. He was sitting so relaxed it made Ranboo almost angry. Why did he get to be so comfortable? Dream should be the one being anxious and squirming. He was the prisoner, so why did Ranboo feel like he was the one trapped?

“You alright?” Sam asked once more, Ranboo nodded. “Alright, careful not to fall. When you two are done just call for me and I’ll let you out.” Ranboo didn’t react. “Ranboo, I need verbal confirmation that you understood.”

Ranboo swallowed hard. His mouth and throat were so dry he felt like throwing up. “Y- Yeah. I understand.” His voice was raw and made Sam wince a bit, but he pulled the last lever and the platform under Ranboo’s feet began moving.

Seeing himself approaching Dream like this felt like a good metaphor about his life right now. He was the one that started this path, the one that decided to come here, and yet as he saw Dream getting closer, he felt nothing but horror. He knew his confrontation with Dream was inevitable, but he still wished he could avoid it for a little longer.

Dream didn’t react to Ranboo approaching and for a second Ranboo wondered if he was even awake. The platform came to a hold and Ranboo stepped off. In the first few seconds he just stood there, lost and unsure of what to do. He heard redstone again and glanced up, the lava began falling again. Ranboo stood with his back turned to Dream, watching the lava until it came to close and once again started blinding him.

He heard the barrier fall and turned again, only to see Dream wasn’t sat at the wall anymore. Ranboo flinched, a curse in ender escaped his throat as he took a step back. Dream was right at where the barrier was before, just looking at Ranboo. Dream tilted his head, Ranboo could feel him examine him, trying to figure out everything he didn’t know about him yet.

Ranboo stood there for a few seconds, before gathering the courage to talk. “Wh- Why? Why did you do all that?”

Dream didn’t move at first, before relaxing his posture and taking a few steps back, finally giving Ranboo space to breathe. “Really? So this is how you want to play, huh?” His voice sounded raw and as if it either hadn’t been used in a long time or as if Dream had screamed his throat raw. Ranboo wasn’t sure which option was worse.

“What do you mean? What game?”

Dream sighed and sat down on his chest, leaning against the wall. “We both know this is not why you’re here.”

Ranboo shuffled uncomfortably under his gaze but tried to act confident. He stared into the two black holes in Dream’s mask and pushed his chin forward. “Well, why am I here then?”

“Easy. You want to know how we are connected. You don’t get why you feel safe around me, even though I’m a monster,” the masked man explained. Ranboo didn’t respond, until Dream sighed. “Ranboo, if you want me to tell you something you need to ask. Come on, use your voice.”

Ranboo’s fists clenched. There was nothing demeaning about what Dream asked him to do, but he still felt so incredibly inferior right now. “You- I-“ He stopped and took a deep breath. “Normally… When I am around humans, I get uncomfortable. Especially eyecontact is almost impossible for me. But around you… I don’t feel like that. It doesn’t make sense, but… My brain is terrified of you, but the part enderman in me trusts you. And I don’t understand why.” He stopped for a second, trying to calm his nerves. “You’re part enderman too, aren’t you?”

Dream chuckled. “You have no idea what I am.” He stood up and began fiddling with the strap of his mask. It loosened and dropped just a few inched, enough for Ranboo to want to close his eyes. This didn’t feel right. And then Dream began lowering his eyes and Ranboo pressed his eyes closed.

He heard porcelain be gently put down onto obsidian and muted steps approach him. He was shaking, this was terrifying. “Open your eyes, Ranboo.” Ranboo shook his head profusely. He felt tears roll over his face and let out a pained gasp as the tears made contact with his skin and burned him. “Open them.”

Ranboo’s legs gave up from under him, he hid his face in his arms. “No, no, no, no, stop. Please, leave me alone. Please. Coming here was a mistake, I’m sorry!”

Seemingly out of nowhere a hand wrapped around his wrist. “ _Ranboo_.” Ranboo froze. Did- Did Dream just speak ender? “ _Ranboo, look at me_.” As if on autopilot he lowered his arms and sat up straight. He opened his eyes.

Dream’s face hovered right in front of his. Ranboo would love to be able to boast about knowing what Dream looked like, but he didn’t. The only thing he was able to pay attention to were his eyes. They were completely purple, the same shade as the eyes of Endermen. They were glowing and it was like a mist was coming out of them.

While that was what Ranboo saw, it wasn’t what he processed. As he looked into the purple depth he saw eternal darkness, he saw a dark sky with cold stars, he saw flickers of a different world, where a dragon was diving through the skies. Ranboo saw home.

“ _Are you ready to serve?_ ”

An inexplainable euphoria filled his body, a warmth like he had never felt before. His life had been so hard, so many choices and different paths. But now there were no choices, only one path. Only one destiny. 

There was nothing else left in his mind but Dream’s voice echoing. His entire life he felt incomplete. He never felt like he belonged, because he didn’t. He wasn’t human, he wasn’t an enderman. But now he knew what he had to do. He had to serve his master.

“ _Ready to comply_.”

**Author's Note:**

> i‘m so sorry i wrote this completely sleep deprived idk if it‘s good
> 
> just to clarify, yes in this headcanon Dream is able to mind-control Ranboo because he is an Ender Dragon Hybrid and Ranboo is an Enderman Hybrid


End file.
